Ukraine does not Comply with International Standards for the Protection of IDPs

The state lacks awareness of the problem of IDPs on a national scale and the legal mechanisms to protect their rights.

According to “Hromadsky Prostir” (Civil Space), despite the fact that the state leadership has repeatedly raised the issue of internally displaced persons (IDPs), meaningful results in the form of a positive program to address the problems of IDPs in Ukraine are missing. A strategy has not been formed for a year and there has not been an evaluation of the approximate material costs of relief for IDPs.

CEDOS Analytical Center has conducted analysis of the compliance of state IDP protection policies with international standards.

According to their report, Ukraine falls short of compliance standards compared to the 12 benchmarks of national responsibility in respect to IDPs, which have been developed by the Brookings-Bern Project on Internal Displacement.

These benchmarks include: preventing displacement and minimizing its adverse effects, raising national awareness of the problem, collecting data on the number and conditions of IDPs, supporting training on the rights of IDPs, creating a legal framework for upholding the rights of IDPs, developing a national policy on internally displacement, designating an institutional focal point on IDPs, encouraging national human rights institutions to integrate internal displacement into their work, ensuring the participation of IDPs in decision-making, supporting durable solutions, allocating adequate resources to the problem, and cooperating with the international community when the national capacity is insufficient.

As of the end of February 2015, 2.4% of the population (1,092,405 people) is registered as IDPs. But, the real share of IDPs reaches 3.9%. About 60% of them are pensioners, 23.1% are able-bodied persons of working age, 12.8%, are children, and 4.1% are persons with disabilities. Overall, 5 million people are in need of immediate humanitarian assistance according to the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, and 700,000 people have left Ukraine.